Indiana University Athletics
Superhero or Not, IU’s Matt Gorski Embraces Baseball Bullseye
4/28/2019 4:39:00 PM | Baseball
BY PETE DIPRIMIO
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana's Matt Gorski skipped the post-game fireworks. Can you blame him? He had delivered some of his own earlier in the evening, which resulted in a Batman comparison from his coach (seriously, it did) so that even in a rare Indiana baseball defeat these days, this Cream 'n Crimson truth rang clear:
Can it get much better than this?
In truth, it can't, not for Gorski nor the No. 23 Hoosiers (30-14, 11-4 Big Ten), who have steamrolled their way into potential Big Ten championship contention.
"We started out slow, 7-8, and got hot," Gorski says. "We need to keep playing with confidence."
With 13 victories in the last 15 games, there's plenty to be confident about.
"We have a different swagger in the locker room," Gorski says. "We have a different work ethic than we did. Everybody is buying into the system. We have a really good chance to be a (NCAA Regional) hosting team, to be a Super Regional team, a College World Series team. We just have to stay confident and stay the course."
That's getting easier to do given IU overcomes deficits faster than you can say, "Kiss It Goodbye!", a home run radio call from a bygone era. The Hoosiers stunned Minnesota 7-6 on Saturday, rallying from a 6-1 deficit and winning it in the bottom of the ninth inning on Matt Lloyd's two-out, three-run homer, which is as surprising this long-ball season as a rainy April.
The Hoosiers lead the nation in home runs (77 after hitting three on Saturday) and Gorski is a big reason why with 11.
The 6-4, 195-pound junior out of Hamilton Southeastern High School in Indiana had a home run and a single during Friday night's series opener against Minnesota, then followed it up with a single and two walks on Saturday, followed by a 1-for-3 effort on Sunday with three runs scored.
He's hitting .306 with 11 doubles along with his 11 homers, plus a team-leading 53 hits, 45 runs and 15 stolen bases (in 18 attempts). Plus, he's now the center fielder after Logan Kaletha's injury, which followed his playing right and left field, and even first base as a freshman.
No wonder IU coach Jeff Mercer goes into super-hero reference mode when talking about Gorski and Lloyd.
"He has a bullseye on his back," Mercer says of Gorski. "There's a Batman and there's a Robin. That's the way it goes. He's Batman. He and Matt Lloyd, they're Batman."
Translation -- they're studs.
"It's more difficult to be a Batman than a Robin," Mercer says. "It might sound a little bit comical -- no pun intended -- but that's how life goes, how baseball works.
"Matt Gorski and Matt Lloyd get the best pitches, every day, day in and day out. They do here, and if they play at the next level, they'll get the best pitches there, too."
A couple of weeks ago, Gorski had slumped to a sub-.270 batting average. Since then he's gone on a 10-game hitting streak, raised his average 38 points and won his third career Big Ten player of week award, and second of the season.
What changed?
"It's a lot of work behind the scenes, with different coaches and difference stances," he says. "It's seeing the ball better. Getting the pitches I want is probably the biggest factor."
That comes from the patience to wait for those pitches.
"A lot of pitchers pitch me differently than other people. Getting the pitches I want is a big thing."
That's more mental than physical, an approach Mercer has preached since arriving at IU last year.
"Matt is incredibly physically gifted, so you look at his length and vascularity and his twitch," he says. "Your bat speed is created in a couple of different ways -- one is with length and quick twitch, and he's got that.
"When he's able to stay on time and work back to the big part of the field, like he has in the last couple of weeks, he matches the physical ability with the mental approach to have an effective at bat. When he puts those two things together, he's a dynamic, special player."
A dynamic Gorski includes his willingness to go beyond baseball. He was a standout soccer player in high school, and still finds time to kick a soccer ball around.
"Playing multiple sports is a big thing for high school athletes," he says. "You're not always burnt out. If you play baseball over and over, it could get to be too much.
"Me and (first baseman) Scotty Bradley would go over and kick soccer with the women's soccer team just to get away from baseball. That's important."
That mindset helps explain Gorski's versatility to play wherever he's needed.
"In high school I played middle infield, but when I came here, they had three good outfielders, so the coaches said, 'Get a first base glove and see what you can do.'
"In the outfield, it's working at every position. Once a week taking balls in left field and right field, so you're used to different spins on balls."
Playing center field, he adds, is "Actually easier because you get a lot of truer reads on balls. The balls spin truer. It's easier, but you have longer runs. I think I'm a leader out there telling people where to play and what pitch might be coming."
An All-Big Ten sophomore season (a team-leading .356 average with eight homers, 14 doubles, three triples and 24 steals) earned him a spot in last summer's prestigious Cape Cod Summer League where he faced some of the nation's best -- and hardest throwing -- pitchers.
How do you handle that kind of heat?
"I faced a couple of guys who threw in the 100s," Gorski says. "It's a different experience. The ball is there before you see it come out of their hands. It's not a guessing game, but you have to really be on time. You have to be ready. If it's a strike you have to get them early. If they bump it up to 102, 103, it's not easy to catch up to, especially if you don't see it every day. It's tough, but you have to get used to if you want to play at next level."
You'd better believe Gorski does. Before the season he was considered the nation's No. 32 Major League draft prospect.
This season has done nothing to change that.
"He can do so many things right and have success," Mercer says, "and he can do so many things wrong and have success because he's more talented than the majority of guys he's facing."
Gorski's talent includes stealing bases. Some of it is speed, of course, but you don't successfully steal on 38 of 44 attempts over the last two seasons just because you're fast.
"It's looking at the catcher's legs if he's getting an off-speed pitch," Gorski says. "It's getting a good (pitching) count. Especially with Lloyd and Scotty (Bradley) hitting behind me. They're going to get a lot of off-speed pitches, so I'm going to have a lot of opportunities to get good jumps."
Gorski's hot stretch coincides with that of IU, which has surged in the Big Ten standings. At 10-4, the Hoosiers are a half-game behind Michigan (10-3).
What's the key for Gorski and IU to sustain their strong play?
"For me, it's staying confident and using all the versatility I have -- the base running, getting on base and stealing bases, maybe laying down a bunt, hitting ball out of the park. Using every tool that I have.
"For the team, we know we're a good club. We lead the nation in home runs. We have a lot of power. We can score in bunches without hitting the long ball, so we need to bring in every part of our game.
"Everybody is different. (Shortstop) Justin Walker isn't going to hit 20 home runs in a year. He has to play his game. Everybody has to do his part."
Even Batman can't do it by himself.
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